WELCOME TO NORWEGIAN DAWN

Sunday, February 08, 2009
Sun, clouds/72 F, moderate winds
As I write, I am overlooking the choppy sea. We are sailing at about 20 knots, a good clip.

Saturday, February 7, the Carnival Liberty docked in Miami. We got off the ship quite smoothly by 9:30 a.m., breezed through customs, and discovered that a porter could wheel our luggage (4 suitcases, 1 garment bag, 2 carry-ons, a backpack, and the computer-we amaze ourselves) to the Norwegian Dawn, less than a football field away. This development was a miracle! We had to wait until 10:30 to go into the NCL terminal, but the weather was much warmer than last Saturday. We were able to go through security, get our documents, and board the ship by 11:15 a.m. The first impression was very good-the ship is nicely decorated with “gardens,” a large central atrium about 8 floors high, a very friendly and helpful crew, and tasteful nooks, lounges, and bars.

We headed for the Venetian Dining Room for lunch: tropical fruit salad, Siamese Beef and Rice Noodle Salad, and a peach and blueberry cobbler. Tim enjoyed the barbecue ribs. Very good-the dining room reminded us of the NCL Spirit-very large, yet comfortable, huge windows aft. The service was impeccable (Ramon-Philippines-will be on board when we travel on the Dawn in November).

By 2:00 we were able to see our cabin, 4591. It was time for another state of shock. If we thought the Liberty inside cabin was small we had not anticipated the Dawn. On the Liberty, our inside cabin was very suitable after we had twin beds arranged and there was ample storage room. In fact we had more than enough storage room. The room was well laid out after the change and very very well lit. I enjoyed writing on the computer in our room and had Internet access there, too.

Even after having the Dawn cabin arranged into twin beds, it is still very small and dark. The “desk” is half the size of the Liberty’s, the storage is barely adequate (our cabin steward had to take a suitcase to another area), and the bedside cubicles are miniature tables--one shelf, no drawers or door. To me the room is very poorly lit. We have also found that Internet access is only available in the atrium, the Internet café, and near the pool. We will certainly make do!

The Sail Away party was lively—the deck band is very good and the pool area has bronze figures and an interesting floral structure. We explored the ship—I love the design—the way there seem to be streets from one lounge or dining area or bar to another (reminds me a little of Foxwoods Casino in Connecticut). Loved the look of the Blue Lagoon Fish n Chips restaurant (I can already see Barb and Paulie here), the Internet Café overlooks the atrium (on the Liberty it was hidden behind the cigar bar so one had to walk through the smoke), the Sushi Bar, the Salsa Bar, the Spinnaker Bar overlooking the sea, the casino, and more. Tim is disappointed that there does not seem to be a specialty coffee bar.

We had dinner at Aqua, a smaller dining room, dimly lit, more “romantic.” The mozzarella and mushroom croustade, the chilled peach soup flavored with finely chopped pistachios and caraway, and the beef ragout over noodles with finely diced carrots, caramelized onion, and ricotta cheese were all superb. I had vanilla bean soufflé with Grand Marnier for dessert-Tim had a chocolate something.

We were surprised by the Stardust Theatre-the seats are steeply tiered and VERY close together. We are not small people, but Tim at 5’11” had no more than three inches between his knees and the seat in front. There are no tables, yet bar service is available. Bar waiters squeezed through the rows to serve drinks, even during the show. We will get beyond this too, I’m sure. The comedian, Dave Heenan, was quite humorous. There was also a sneak peek at other performers (dancers, singers, show lounge performers, 7 piece orchestra) and all were very talented.

We discovered that the Cruise Director for the Dawn, John Ibrahim, is the brother of the Cruise Director on the Grand Princess, James Ibrahim. They are from Melbourne, Australia.


Sunday, February 8, 2009
I tried to spend some time at the pool-a little windy and cool for me. Our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet was in the Star Bar at 10:30, organized by Doug and Vikki (Floorman) from Wisconsin. What a nice group. They all remembered that we were on a Cruise Triathlon and wanted to know about our experiences. Ship’s officers attended: Hotel Director, Dwen Binns/Jamaica; Food and Beverage Director, Panos Trigas/Greece; the Executive Chef, Messiah Ritzinger/Bavaria; the Cruise Director, and the Melissa Macphail/Canada, Group Service Coordinator. The effusive Executive Chef gave Tim, who was videotaping, a special message (a yodel) for YouTube! The CC group is very friendly-at least 30 people attended. My map of Pennsylvania t-shirt has been a great hit on the Liberty and the Dawn. (women did not seem to wear t-shirts on the Grand). I bought two at Walmart (sorry, Donna) for $9.95 each about 5 years ago and never wore them until this trip. Someone even wanted take a picture of it today. Not many strangers request my photo! Back to CC-they were mostly from the north-Wisconsin, Michigan, Massachusetts, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Canada. Wonder why!?!

We met the Cruise Director, John Ibrahim, and Tim showed him a picture of his brother James, from the Grand Princess. He was quite excited to see the photo.

Afternoon: Latitudes cocktail party—over 800 repeat guests; Internet Café; reading

After dinner in the Venetian Dining Room, we went to the evening show, “Band on the Run.” I did not know I liked 70s music so much—Queen songs, plus We Will Rock You, YMCA, etc. The 7 girls/8 guys dancers are terrific. I now know what is meant by washboard abs-the male dancers removed their shirts. We sat in the almost nose bleed seats that are in the highest tier and there is more room. I do have to say the female dancers have very long legs, as noted by Tim. He probably noticed more, but didn’t say.

Culinary Delight of the Day: Saturday/Sunday: chilled peach soup, mozzarella and mushroom croustade, peach-blueberry cobbler; fish and chips, Beef Wellington (the best I have ever had), Thai Spring Roll

TK’s Takes: He likes the food on the Dawn. He is warming up to the Stardust Theatre, thanks to the beautiful female dancers. He is already looking forward to the Chocolate Buffet on Wednesday.

A Note our Dear Granddaughters, B and B: We are going to explore the children’s area and activities. We already saw the adorable area for children to eat in the Garden Buffet—colorful small tables and chairs. Tonight’s towel animal was a puppy dog.

A Note to Our Followers and Readers: Thank you so much for following us along on this cruise triathlon. To our dear family and friends-sometimes the details may seem a little much, but some of our readers will join us on the Dawn in November 2009 and they may want to know. To our dear Cruise Critic readers, I hope there is enough detail, but not too tedious! Sometimes I write details so Tim and I remember! To our dear new friends, we are so pleased to have you with us too. We have been blessed to have this experience and are happy to share!

A Note to Ursula: I did get to say hello to Captain Hakan Svedung for you. He has such a pleasant demeanor. He expressed his concern about you after seeing the fires in Australia. I echo that concern. Are you near the area that is affected?